[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40509-40512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17545]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. PF18-4-000]


Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Planned MVP Southgate Project, 
and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Session

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) that 
will discuss the environmental impacts of the MVP Southgate Project 
(Project). The Project involves the construction and operation of 
facilities by Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC (Mountain Valley), a joint 
venture between affiliates of EQT Corporation and NextEra Energy, Inc. 
in Virginia and North Carolina. The Commission will use this EIS in its 
decision-making process to determine whether the Project is in the 
public convenience and necessity.
    This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the 
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested 
agencies about issues regarding the Project. The National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the 
environmental impacts that could result from its action whenever it 
considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and 
Necessity. NEPA also requires the Commission to discover concerns the 
public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as 
``scoping.'' The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the 
analysis in the EIS on the important environmental issues. By this 
notice, the Commission requests public comments on the scope of the 
issues to address in the EIS. To ensure that your comments are timely 
and properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the 
Commission receives them in Washington, DC on or before 5 p.m. Eastern 
Time on September 10, 2018.
    You can make a difference by submitting your specific comments or 
concerns about the Project. Your comments should focus on the potential 
environmental effects, reasonable alternatives, and measures to avoid 
or lessen environmental impacts. Your input will help the Commission 
staff determine what issues it needs to evaluate in the EIS. Commission 
staff will consider all filed comments during the preparation of the 
EIS.
    If you sent comments on this Project to the Commission before the 
opening of this docket on May 15, 2018, or if you sent comments on this 
Project to the MVP mainline docket (CP16-10-000), you will need to file 
those comments in Docket No. PF18-4-000 to ensure they are considered 
as part of this proceeding.
    This notice is being sent to the Commission's current environmental 
mailing list for this Project. State and local government 
representatives should notify their constituents of this planned 
Project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern.
    If you are a landowner receiving this notice, a Mountain Valley 
representative may contact you about the acquisition of an easement to 
construct, operate, and maintain the planned facilities. The company 
would seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable easement agreement. You 
are not required to enter into an agreement. However, if the Commission 
approves the Project, that approval conveys with it the right of 
eminent domain. Therefore, if you and the company do not reach an 
easement agreement, the pipeline company could initiate condemnation 
proceedings in court. In such instances, compensation would be 
determined by a judge in accordance with state law.
    A fact sheet prepared by the FERC entitled ``An Interstate Natural 
Gas Facility On My Land? What Do I Need To Know?'' is available for 
viewing on the FERC website (www.ferc.gov). This fact sheet addresses a 
number of typically asked questions, including the use of eminent 
domain and how to participate in the Commission's proceedings.

Public Participation

    For your convenience, there are four methods you can use to submit 
your comments to the Commission. The Commission encourages electronic 
filing of comments and has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-
3676 or [email protected]. Please carefully follow these 
instructions so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to Documents and Filings. Using eComment is an easy 
method for submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to Documents and

[[Page 40510]]

Filings. With eFiling, you can provide comments in a variety of formats 
by attaching them as a file with your submission. New eFiling users 
must first create an account by clicking on ``eRegister.'' You will be 
asked to select the type of filing you are making; a comment on a 
particular project is considered a ``Comment on a Filing''; or
    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the following address. Be sure to reference the Project docket number 
(PF18-4-000) with your submission: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426.
    (4) In lieu of sending written comments, the Commission invites you 
to attend one of the public scoping sessions its staff will conduct in 
the Project area, scheduled as follows:


           FERC Public Scoping Meetings--MVP Southgate Project
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               Date and time                          Location
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Monday, August 20, 2018; 5-8 p.m..........  Reidsville Event Center, 223
                                             S. Scales Street,
                                             Reidsville, NC 27320.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018; 5-8 p.m.........  Olde Dominion Agricultural
                                             Complex, 19783 US-29,
                                             Chatham, VA 24531.
Thursday, August 23, 2018; 5-8 p.m........  Vailtree Event and
                                             Conference Center, 1567
                                             Bakatsias Lane, Haw River,
                                             NC 27258.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify 
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be 
considered in the EIS. Individual verbal comments will be taken on a 
one-on-one basis with a court reporter. This format is designed to 
receive the maximum amount of verbal comments, in a convenient way 
during the timeframe allotted.
    Each scoping session is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT. There 
will not be a formal presentation by Commission staff when the session 
opens. If you wish to speak, the Commission staff will hand out numbers 
in the order of your arrival. Comments will be taken until 8 p.m. 
However, if no additional numbers have been handed out and all 
individuals who wish to provide comments have had an opportunity to do 
so, staff may conclude the session at 7:30 p.m. Please see appendix 1 
for additional information on the session format and conduct.\1\
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    \1\ The appendices referenced in this notice will not appear in 
the Federal Register. Copies of the appendices were sent to all 
those receiving this notice in the mail and are available at 
www.ferc.gov using the link called ``eLibrary'' or from the 
Commission's Public Reference Room, 888 First Street NE, Washington, 
DC 20426, or call (202) 502-8371. For instructions on connecting to 
eLibrary, refer to the last page of this notice.
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    Your scoping comments will be recorded by a court reporter (with 
FERC staff or representative present) and become part of the public 
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on 
FERC's eLibrary system (see below for instructions on using eLibrary). 
If a significant number of people are interested in providing verbal 
comments in the one-on-one settings, a time limit of three (3) minutes 
may be implemented for each commentor.
    It is important to note that the Commission provides equal 
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form 
or provided verbally at a scoping session. Although there will not be a 
formal presentation, Commission staff will be available throughout the 
scoping session to answer your questions about the environmental review 
process. Representatives from Mountain Valley will also be present to 
answer questions you may have about their Project.
    Please note this is not your only public input opportunity; please 
refer to the review process flow chart in appendix 2.\1\

Summary of the Planned Project

    The Project would involve the construction and operation of about 
72 miles of 24-inch-diameter natural gas transmission pipeline in 
Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Rockingham and Alamance Counties, 
North Carolina. The Project would interconnect with and receive gas 
from the Mountain Valley Pipeline near Chatham, Virginia, and the East 
Tennessee Natural Gas mainline near Eden, North Carolina. The pipeline 
would extend about 72 miles to its planned terminus at an interconnect 
near Graham, North Carolina. The pipeline would be designed to deliver 
at least 300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. Additional 
facilities would include new compressor stations in Pittsylvania 
County, Virginia and Rockingham County, North Carolina; four new meter 
stations; eight main line valves, and four pig \2\ launchers and 
receivers.
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    \2\ A ``pig'' is an internal tool that the pipeline company 
inserts into and pushes through the pipeline for cleaning, 
inspections, or other purposes.
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    The general location of the Project facilities is shown in appendix 
3. Additional Project location information, including an interactive 
map, is available on the Mountain Valley's Project website: 
www.mvpsouthgate.com.

Project Alternatives

    Mountain Valley is evaluating the following alternatives and route 
deviations listed below. Illustrations of these alternatives are 
provided in the figures in appendix 3.

Sandy Cross Road Alternative

    To address concerns regarding the planned route's proximity to 
residences in Alamance County, North Carolina, the Sandy Cross Road 
Alternative would deviate from the planned route near milepost (MP) 
65.5 and extend northeast and then south for about 2.0 miles before 
rejoining the planned route at MP 67.0.

Alamance Eastern Alternative

    To address concerns regarding the planned route's proximity to 
residences in Alamance County, North Carolina, the Alamance Eastern 
Alternative would deviate from the planned route near MP 65.6 and 
extend east and then southwest for about 9.6 miles before rejoining the 
planned route at MP 70.4.

Alamance Southern Alternative

    To address concerns regarding the planned route's proximity to 
residences in Alamance County, North Carolina, the Alamance Southern 
Alternative would deviate from the planned route near MP 71.4 and 
extend southeast, and then southwest for about 2.3 miles before 
rejoining the planned route at MP 72.5.

Duke Powerline Alternative

    In order to increase the planned route's collocation with existing 
rights-of-way in Alamance County, North Carolina, the Duke Powerline 
Alternative would deviate from the planned route near MP 58.2 and 
extend south and then east for about 4.4 miles before rejoining the 
planned route at MP 62.0. This alternative route is collocated with the 
Duke Energy transmission line and other rights-of-way for about 3.8 
miles.

Land Requirements for Construction

    Construction of the planned facilities would disturb about 1,348 
acres of land. Following construction, Mountain Valley would maintain 
about 449 acres for permanent operation of the Project's facilities, 
not including permanent access roads; the remaining acreage would be 
restored and revert to former uses. About 47 percent of the planned 
pipeline route parallels existing pipeline, utility, and road rights-
of-way.

[[Page 40511]]

The EIS Process

    The EIS will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the 
construction and operation of the planned Project under these general 
headings:
    1. Geology and soils;
    2. land use;
    3. water resources, fisheries, and wetlands;
    4. cultural resources;
    5. vegetation and wildlife;
    6. air quality and noise;
    7. endangered and threatened species;
    8. public safety;
    9. socioeconomics; and
    10. cumulative impacts.
    Commission staff will also evaluate possible alternatives to the 
planned Project or portions of the Project, and make recommendations on 
how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas.
    Although no formal application has been filed, Commission staff 
have already initiated a NEPA review under the Commission's pre-filing 
process. The purpose of the pre-filing process is to encourage early 
involvement of interested stakeholders and to identify and resolve 
issues before the Commission receives an application. As part of the 
pre-filing review, Commission staff will contact federal and state 
agencies to discuss their involvement in the scoping process and the 
preparation of the EIS.
    The EIS will present Commission staffs' independent analysis of the 
issues. The Commission will publish and distribute the draft EIS for 
public comment. After the comment period, staff will consider all 
timely comments and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing a 
final EIS. To ensure Commission staff have the opportunity to consider 
and address your comments, please carefully follow the instructions in 
the Public Participation section, beginning on page 2.
    With this notice, the Commission is asking agencies with 
jurisdiction by law and/or special expertise with respect to the 
environmental issues related to this Project to formally cooperate in 
the preparation of the EIS.\3\ Agencies that would like to request 
cooperating agency status should follow the instructions for filing 
comments provided under the Public Participation section of this 
notice. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has expressed their 
intention to participate as a cooperating agency in the preparation of 
the EIS.
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    \3\ The Council on Environmental Quality regulations addressing 
cooperating agency responsibilities are at Title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations, part 1501.6.
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Consultation Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act

    In accordance with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation's 
implementing regulations for section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act, the Commission is using this notice to initiate 
consultation with the applicable State Historic Preservation Office(s) 
(SHPO), and to solicit their views and those of other government 
agencies, interested Indian tribes, and the public on the Project's 
potential effects on historic properties.\4\ Commission staff will 
define the Project-specific Area of Potential Effects (APE) in 
consultation with the SHPO(s) as the Project develops. On natural gas 
facility projects, the APE at a minimum encompasses all areas subject 
to ground disturbance (examples include construction right-of-way, 
contractor/pipe storage yards, compressor stations, and access roads). 
The EIS for this Project will document our findings on the impacts on 
historic properties and summarize the status of consultations under 
section 106.
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    \4\ The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulations 
are at Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, part 800. Those 
regulations define historic properties as any prehistoric or 
historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in 
or eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic 
Places.
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Currently Identified Environmental Issues

    Commission staff have already identified several issues that 
deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the planned 
facilities and the environmental information provided by Mountain 
Valley. This preliminary list of issues may change based on your 
comments and our analysis.
    1. Domestic water sources, wells, springs, and waterbodies;
    2. federally-listed threatened and endangered species, including 
mussels, fish, and bats;
    3. residential developments and property values;
    4. public safety;
    5. environmental justice;
    6. operational noise from planned compressor stations; and
    7. alternatives and their potential impacts on a range of 
resources.

Environmental Mailing List

    The environmental mailing list includes federal, state, and local 
government representatives and agencies; elected officials; 
environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other 
interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. This list also 
includes all affected landowners (as defined in the Commission's 
regulations) who are potential right-of-way grantors, whose property 
may be used temporarily for Project purposes, or who own homes within 
certain distances of aboveground facilities, and anyone who submits 
comments on the Project. Commission staff will update the environmental 
mailing list as the analysis proceeds to ensure that information 
related to this environmental review is sent to all individuals, 
organizations, and government entities interested in and/or potentially 
affected by the planned Project.
    Copies of the completed draft EIS will be sent to the environmental 
mailing list for public review and comment. If you would prefer to 
receive a paper copy of the document instead of a CD version or would 
like to remove your name from the mailing list, please return the 
attached ``Mailing List Update Form'' (appendix 4).

Becoming an Intervenor

    Once Mountain Valley files its application with the Commission, you 
may want to become an ``intervenor'' which is an official party to the 
Commission's proceeding. Only intervenors have the right to seek 
rehearing of the Commission's decision and be heard by the courts if 
they choose to appeal the Commission's final ruling. An intervenor 
formally participates in the proceeding by filing a request to 
intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice 
and Procedures (Title 18, Code of Federal Regulations, part 385.214). 
Motions to intervene are more fully described at http://www.ferc.gov/resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp. Please note that the Commission 
will not accept requests for intervenor status at this time. You must 
wait until the Commission receives a formal application for the 
Project, after which the Commission will issue a public notice that 
establishes an intervention deadline.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the Project is available from the 
Commission's Office of External Affairs, at (866) 208-FERC, or on the 
FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number 
in the ``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., 
PF18-4). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance,

[[Page 40512]]

please contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or 
toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. The 
eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all formal documents 
issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings.
    In addition, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances 
and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time 
you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with 
notification of these filings, document summaries, and direct links to 
the documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp.
    Finally, public sessions or site visits will be posted on the 
Commission's calendar located at www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.

    Dated: August 9, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-17545 Filed 8-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P